House Committee on Finance (FIN) - chair: Sylvia Luke, vice chair: Scott Y. Nishimoto and Aaron Ling Johanson House Committee on Water & Land (WAL) - chair: Cindy Evans, vice chair: Nicole E. Lowen

Saturday, February 9, 2013, 2:00 P..M.., Room 325

Testifier: Karen Ah Mai, Legislative Committee Member, LWV of Hawaii

Click here to view HB1134

Chair Evans, Chair Luke and Committee Members: The League of Women Voters of Hawaii opposes HB 1134, which changes references from public land development corporation to the public private partnership corporation. We believe that the legislative process used to pass the PLDC was extremely flawed, effectively masking the proponents and eliminating opposing views on an issue that involves all residents of the State of Hawaii as stakeholders. By keeping exemptions from all statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, andrules of any government agency relating to special improvement district assessments or requirements, land use, zoning, construction standards, development and improvement of lands, this bill literally breaks all of the above laws, rules, and regulations. It is counter-intuitive to good government to even recommend such a wholesale sell-out of the protections currently afforded to the resident stakeholders of Hawaii. These lands are the people’s lands in perpetuity. Development, in light of perpetuity, need not be rushed through but should follow the long, tedious, and protective processes that are in place. We urge you to vote down this bill. Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony.